


Blue Desk

by historicallyredacted (lockandkey)



Series: Retail [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Retail, Dinnertime Flirting, F/M, Flustered Frank, Innuendo a Plenty, M/M, Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:11:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6282325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lockandkey/pseuds/historicallyredacted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow up to Red Vest-</p>
<p>Frank pays a visit to Best Buy, and then what follows is a very awkward dinner...for Frank. Frank has no idea what is happening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Desk

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to make a short sequel to Red Vest, who knows there might be another follow up to this one, which is why I'm making it into a series rather than a chaptered story. 
> 
> I want to thank books4belle for the beautiful idea of an awkward dinner, otherwise I might not be posting this now.

 

  
Frank needed a new cover for his phone... or that's what he was telling himself anyway.  
  
He could have bought it off Amazon, sure, but he wanted to support local business...was Best Buy local? Probably not. But still! Wasn't it good to get out once in awhile? And if it just so happened to be where Leo Valdez worked, then so be it.  
Hazel wanted to invite him over for dinner anyway, so Frank could just do that too, kill two birds with one stone. Sure, they could have just called Leo, but that was besides the point.  
  
Walking into the electronic super store had Frank freezing up. He was taller than most people, so he could see over most the isles and get a good look at the entire shop, and it was just a little overwhelming. It wasn't....unbusy.  
Target had it's help of sales, black fridays, and other various customer filled events, but Frank wasn't usually a checker. Best Buy was a big store, with not many registers, and it showed.  
  
“Hey, can I help you find what you're looking for today?” Frank glanced at the guy behind a sort of podium between to exit and entry doors. Percy, his name tag read.  
  
“Uh, I'm..” Frank glanced around again, and reevaluated his phone cover story. “I'm looking for someone.” He'd just buy the thing off Amazon, it wasn't worth the trouble.  
  
“Oh?” The guy blinked, looked Frank up and down, then smiled. “Ohh, you must be Frank. Leo's in the Geek Squad center, works in the back room. Just ask for him at the desk.”  
  
“Oh, great...that...okay.” Frank stood still, and scratched the back of his head. “He talks about me?”  
  
The Percy guy shrugged with a small smile, “Yeah. When he's not plotting something, he mentioned running into you and a girl he grew up with. Hazel, right?”  
  
Frank nodded blankly, “right. So, I should. so...”  
  
Percy waved a hand. “Go to the Geek Squad. Leo. Back room. Ask nicely, you might have to pass some tests.”  
  
Frank nodded, thanked the man, and started to walk towards the back of the store when Percy's words sunk in.  
Tests?  
  
Two girls were manning the front desk of the Geek Squad, and they looked intimidating and beautiful all at the same time. Not entirely Frank's type, but lately he hadn't had a type besides Hazel or L-...moving on from that traitorous thought process, Frank walked up to the desk. There was a small line, but like Percy, Frank noticed he was being noticed.  
One of the girls was looking at him, from the corner of her eyes. It was a sort of calculating look that Frank didn't get much outside of Reyna and Nico. She muttered something to the other girl, who looked surprised before doing a once over of Frank, and smirking. Instant flashbacks to highschool, Frank frowned and shifted in place until his turn came.  
  
“So, you're Frank...” Piper, was the girls name. “I _could_ get Leo, but...”  
  
“Uh, I just wanted to talk to him for a minute, is all.” Frank looked between the two. The other, Calypso her name tag read.  
  
“You're too good for him,” Calypso said. “He's a terrible person.”  
  
“ _Aw_ , Caly.” Piper said after a moment, looking more touched than horrified like Frank currently felt.  
  
“That's Calypso speak for she approves of you.” Piper explained, noticing Frank's expression. “High praise. She's very protective of Leo.”  
  
“Certainly...sounds like it?” Frank muttered. “So, uh, could I talk to him? We just..wanted to invite him over for dinner sometime.”  
  
“What kind?” The girls said in unison.  
  
“Spaghetti...maybe? I..I don't know?”  
  
“Ugh,” Calypso flipped her braid over her shoulder. “He'll be infuriating. Horrible choice.”  
  
“Perfect!” Piper grinned, and smacked Frank on the shoulder. “I'll go get him, he's fixing something with Annabeth.”  
  
Frank had no idea who that was, but nodded anyway as she vanished into the back room and he was just left with Calypso.  
  
“So, uh, you're friends with Leo?” Frank started, and Calypso stared at him blankly. “Good....to know.”  
  
There was the sound of a small commotion from the back room, then Leo emerged with a wide grin.  
  
“Heey, Frank! Is Hazel here too?” Leo propped his elbows on the counter, and waved Calypso away. “I got this, sunshine.”  
  
“Sunshine?” Frank looked at the glowering girl.  
  
“Caly- Cali- California, sunshine state. You get it.” Leo shrugged a shoulder. “There's also her _sunny_ disposition.”  
  
“...The sunshine state is Florida.” Frank blinked, but Leo didn't seem to care. “Uh, no, Hazel is at work. I just, er, _we_ just wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner sometime. Maybe this weekend?”  
  
“Absolutely.” Leo was positively beaming, but that might have been the lighting. “What time you have in mind?”  
  
“..um.” Frank hadn't thought that far ahead. “Saturday, around 7?”  
  
“Perfect.” Leo's smile looked like the cat that got the canary. How was it that Frank dropped in on him, and Frank ended up walking away feeling like it had all gone according to some plan of Leo's.  
  
“Good luck,” Percy wished Frank on the way out of the store. Frank was fairly certain he'd be needing it.  
  
-  
  
“I'm so glad you could make it!” Hazel hugged Leo, ushering him inside their apartment. She was wearing an apron, her and Frank both were actually, but Leo didn't seem to think twice about the hug even if he got quite a bit of flour on himself.  
  
“Wow, nice place.” Leo said, shrugging off an olive green jacket and hanging it on the wall. “Do I smell potpourri?”  
  
“Uh, incense actually.” Frank said, motioning for Leo to move from the entryway.  
  
“I'm sorry I'm still messy, we were busy making dinner and forgot it was nearly time.” Hazel apologized, motioning at a sauce stain that nearly would have transferred onto Leo. “I really am, so, so happy you could make it.”  
  
“Well I don't know a ton of people here, besides some friends from work, so it'd be weird to turn down an invite from a childhood friend.” Leo said easily, looking around the space as he was led into the kitchen. Frank had flashbacks to the Best Buy a few days earlier. 'some friends from work' seemed like he was putting it lightly. “Smells great, by the way. I'm _super_ hungry too.”  
  
“We went with Lasagna, and cobbler for dessert, nothing fancy. Well, it's lactose and gluten free, but, otherwise nothing fancy.”  
  
Frank waited for the jokes to start, but Leo didn't seem to think anything odd of it. In fact, Leo still looked like he was checking out their flat more than he was concerned with what they were saying.  
  
“It's a, uh, two bedroom. Really close to public transport. The neighborhood is pretty safe, good reviews from most past tenants...” Frank started, feeling his customer service voice creeping up into his throat.  
  
Leo cocked an eyebrow, and stuck his hands in his pockets with a small grin. “Are you trying to sell it to me?”  
  
“No, I mean, I'm sure Hazel would love you living close by, but-” Leo cut him off, snickering.  
  
“It's a nice place, very cozy.”  
  
“Isn't that just a codeword for small?” Frank frowned.  
  
Leo laughed, “I work in electronics, small doesn't mean bad. Though...” Leo looked Frank over slowly, “Big isn't bad either...”  
  
“When'd this happen?” Hazel asked while Frank turned redder than a tomato and opened his mouth like a goldfish repeatedly at loss for what to say.  
  
“What?” Leo asked cheerfully. “The liking guys too thing, or the flirting thing?”  
  
“You're flirting, it's definitely improved.”  
  
Leo snorted, “my exes would disagree strongly with that assessment.”  
  
“You're single?” Frank wasn't sure why the words left his mouth. Leo looked at him like a lion eying a gazelle.  
  
“You askin, big guy?” Leo grinned slowly, before Hazel flicked him softly on the side of the head. “Sorry, couldn't resist. You got a goodie, Hazel. Yeah, you met my last ex actually. Calypso.”  
  
“I understand much more now.” Frank mumbled and Leo laughed. “Uh, do you want a drink? We have....juice and..wine and..gluten-free beer? And...We weren't sure what you'd like.”  
  
“Juice is great, we can save the alcohol for later, yeah?” Leo winked at him, before pushing past and moving into the kitchen.  
  
“He's really gotten much better, just with people in general.” Hazel smiled after Leo moved away for a minute, but she had a distant look in her eyes.. “It's cute. Different though...It'll be nice to catch up.”  
  
And so they did, talking and eating and laughing- not that there weren't solemn moments, if Sammy was brought up. It turned out Leo hadn't stuck around long after Sammy had died either, moving to live with his semi-estranged father. Even if Hazel hadn't moved, their ways would have eventually parted, which Frank thought likely soothed some of Hazels concerns about having left in the first place.  
  
“You guys should come over sometime. Some of my friends from work were planning on throwing a party, wanted to do it at my place.” Leo leaned back in his chair, plate half finished. He ate much smaller portions than either Frank or Hazel.  
  
“That'd be great, if you don't mind the intrusion.” Hazel smiled, and tipped her wine glass towards Leo, who clinked it happily with his own.  
  
“Intrusion? Never, not for you.” Leo's gaze lingered on Hazel for a moment, long enough to have Frank feeling uncomfortable...or..something. “Plus, I've got room. My old man left me this studio...small living space, huge garage. Perfect for parties, or one person karaoke in just your underwear and socks.”  
  
“Then I'll be sure to bring my phone to record all that then.” Hazel laughed, eyes twinkling happily in the soft light of the room.  
  
“Feel free to join in, you know I'd never mind.” Leo's lips curled up slightly, and Hazel's ears looked a little bit red.  
  
“Definitely, but there is fun to be had in watching.” Hazel said lightly, softly, like she had barely said anything at all.  
  
Franks phone rang cutting off the discussion with a rather obnoxious preset ringtone. “Oh, thank the Gods.” Frank mumbled, putting down his own drink and pulling out his phone. It turned out just to be a shift change, nothing major, Hazel was working then too so it wasn't like it cut into their time together.  
  
“Uh, sorry about that.” Frank apologized, setting down the phone. “Just, work stuff.”  
  
Leo had a look on his face that worried him. It was...mildly annoyed and disgusted at the same time. “Really?”  
  
“Um.” Frank looked at Hazel, who looked a bit surprised out of whatever mood was happening earlier.  
  
“Your phone. You have a flip phone.” Leo raised an eyebrow. “Who has a flip phone?”  
  
“Oh,” Frank looked down. “Well, it still works. Seemed odd to replace it.”  
  
Leo bit his lip and shook his head, “I don't understand you muggles. You're still damn cute, maybe even cuter, but I don't understand it. My phone is so new it hasn't even technically come out yet.”  
  
“He is cute, isn't he?” Hazel smiled, looking up at Frank from under her lashes. Frank knew that look. Usually quite liked that look. Said look didn't usually happen with another man in the house.  
  
“What's happening...” Frank whispered, flustered.  
  
“We should save this for a later date, maybe?” Hazel fanned her face just briefly, before standing up. Leo pouted, but stood up anyway.  
  
“Alright, it's been real fun though. You know I always love to see you, Haze.” Leo hugged Hazel tightly, and they looked into eachothers eyes with a fond expression, noses not even an inch away. Then, Leo glanced at Frank and winked.  
  
“Of course... I'll be back for dessert another time.” Was the last thing Leo said before getting his coat on again, and making his way out of the apartment.  
  
“What's happening?” Frank said to himself again, frozen in place, and Hazel hooked an arm around his arm.  
  
“Wine and repressed emotions, I think.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm in so far to this stupid ot3 yesterday I was actually pondering writing a hogwarts au. it makes no sense, theyre american and canadian IT MAKES NO SENSE and yet I was like, man...two hufflepuffs and a slytherin would just be so nice.


End file.
